KANSAS CITY, Mo.- James McClinton certainly didn't hold anything back during KU's Big 12 media day session on Tuesday morning. The 6-foot-1, 285-pound defensive tackle from Garland, Texas, talked about the quarterback situation at Kansas, his goals for the upcoming season, his expectations for the team and a number of other topics of interest. There is absolutely no doubt that McClinton expects the upcoming season to be extremely special.

During his sophomore campaign at KU, McClinton appeared in all 12 games and made 11 starts. He was credited with 27 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry.

The 2006 season kicks off with a home game against Northwestern State on September 2. While many new players will be taking the field for the first time, McClinton couldn't stop talking about quarterback Kerry Meier, who stands atop the depth chart at this time.

"He (Kerry Meier) is a freak," said McClinton. "He is fast and he has got great accuracy. Kerry is around 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, I don't really know his height for sure, but he is very strong. Kerry is a freak, man. He is going to be a good player for us next year.

"I guess you could say that (being used to not depending on the quarterback to win games last year," he added. "I am just excited for the season and to see what Kerry can do. We also have Adam Barmann, who has played the last couple of years and started. Our quarterback situation is really taken care of, but for now, Kerry Meier is the starter."